Manufacture of boots and shoes.



K. ENGEL.

MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 24, 1910.

L 1 22, 1 9n. Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

' THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTOLITHQ, WASHINGTON, 0

barren strains ra'rnnr orriba KARL ENGEL, 0F ARLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, ACORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

ineaiea Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

Application filed March 24, 1910. Serial No. 551,292.

. sachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in the h Ianufacture ofBoots and "Shoes, of which the following description, in

connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likereference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in theseveral figures.

This invention relates to the manufacture of boots and shoes andparticularly to that type known as stitch-downs. In stitchdown shoes theupper is turned outwardly and stitched to the upper face of the sole.Where, however, it is desired to produce a shoe which may readily bemended by replacing the outer sole, an inner sole is first stitched tothe upper; and since in this type of shoe the last is inserted after theforward part of the stitching has been done short innor soles have beenmade use of which extend from the toe to the rear portion of the shank.When such an innersole has been stitched throughout the extent of itsedge to the upper the unfinished shoe is comparatively flexible so thata last may then be inserted preparatory to laying the outer sole andstitching it to the inner sole and upper around the whole shoe. In themanufacture of these shoes it has been customary to make use of countersof the usual form, said counters being skived throughout their entireedge. The lower outturned margin of such a counter is consequently verythin; and in asmuch as the inner sole does not extend beneath the heelportion of the upper a considerable space exists between the lower faceof the outturned portion of the counter and the upper face of the outersole. To fill this space and to provide a spring heel when de sired ithas been necessary to insert a thick lift. Such lifts are comparativelyexpensive, and one feature of the present invention consists in theproduction of a shoe wherein the necessity for their use is obviated andthinner and less expensive lifts may be substituted. In order toaccomplish this result the counter, instead of being skived to a thinedge entirely around its margin, is formed with its lower margin ofnormal thickness so that when said margin together with the lower marginof the upper is turned outwardly around the heel portion a much narrowergap is left between its lower face and the upper face of the outer sole.In order to facilitate the bending of the lower margin of the counteroutwardly said counter is formed along the line of turning with agroove; and preferably the counter is also formed with a depression atthe center of its lower margin which, when said counter is turnedoutwardly, furnishes space for the reception of thelower outturnedportion of the backstay. With this construction a much thinner lift canbe used than was formerly the case, and at the same time that portion ofthe lower margin of the counter which was formerly skived off anddiscarded. now becomes a part of the finished shoe and contributes toits strength and wearing qualities.

Another feature of the present invention consists in the counterdescribed above as an article of manufacture.

These and other features of the invention including certain details ofconstruction and combinations of parts will be described in connectionwith the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective ofa counter of approved form; Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same on theline 2--2; Fig. 3 is a perspective of a shoe embodying a counter of theform shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1 there is shown a counter of ordinary outline but differingfrom ordinary counters in having its lower edge 1 of a thickness equalapproximately to that of its center or unskived portion 3, the uppercurved portion being skived as usual as ind cat d at 4. In order thatspace may be provided for the outturned lower portion of the back staythe counter is formed with a depression 5; and for a reason presently tobe set forth the edge 1 of the counter is tapered at each end asindicated at 6. Besides the features noted above there is formed in thecounter a groove 7 extending from end to end along the lower margin,said groove being deeper at its central portions and becoming graduallyshallower toward either end so that the portions indicated at 8 are ofapproximately the same thickness as the thicker portions of the edge 1.For convenience the face of the counter which is exposed in Fig. 1 willbe termed the inner face since that is a proper designation withreference to its relative position in the assembled shoe. It will beobserved then, that the lower edge is of a thickness approximately equalto that of the central portion, that the outline of said central portioncorresponds to the outline of the counter, and that the face of thelower edge forms substantially a right angle with the inner face of thecounter and may therefore be termed a square edge to distinguish it fromthe beveled edge 4. It should be noted also that the groove 7 and thedepression 5 may be said to represent areas of comparative flexibility.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a shoe made in accordance with the presentinvention, and for convenience a spring heel shoe has been chosen forillustration. The outturned portion of the upper is shown at 18, thethick edge of the counter at'l, the comparatively thin lift at 9, theinner sole at 10, and the outer sole at 11. Had an ordinary counter beenused its lower edge (which would have corresponded to the edge 1) wouldhave been very thin so that to produce a spring heel shoe a thick liftwould have been required to fill the space occupied in the illus-'trated shoe by the thick edge 1 of the counter and the thin lift 9.These thick lifts as well as the counters must be cut from the morevaluable portions of the hide while the thinner lifts may be out fromthe less valu- 'able portions. The present invention, therefore, doesaway with the necessity for thick, expensive lifts and permits theutilization of a certain portion of the died-out counter which wasformerly skived off and discarded. In the manufacture of shoes of thistype the parts of the upper are assembled and the heel molded into shapeby a machine comprising a fiat yoke which contacts with the upper alongthe line 12 of the turn and a Wiping member which turns the upperoutwardly over said yoke and exerts a compressing action on theout-turned portion. In this operation the outturned portion of .the backstay 13 is forced against that polrtion of counter opposite to thedepression 5 so that the outturned portion of said counter together withthe outturned portion of the upper at this point is distorted as shownto make room for the back stay and thereby bring the upper surface ofthe outturned portion of the back stay into the plane of thecorresponding surface of the upper at either side of it. The result ofthe depression of this portion of the back stay is thus to render theedge of the lower part of the shoe about the heel portion ofsubstantially uniform thickness.

In order to make a smooth joint between the ends of the counter and theend of the inner sole the end of the inner sole is beveled as shown at 6and the beveled end 6 of the counter is caused to extend into the V-ishaped opening between the upper and the beveled end of the short innersole.

A counter having a depression to provide space for the outturned portionof the back stay is not claimed herein but forms the subject-matter of adivisional application Serial No. 870,141, filed November 3, 1914.

Having thus described the invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. In a stitch-down shoe, an outturned counter groovedalong the line of the turn, the outturned margin of said counter beingof a thickness substantially equal to the thick central portion of saidcounter.

2. In a stitch-down shoe, an outturned counter inside the heel portionof the upper, said counter being comparatively thin along the line ofthe turn and comparatively thick on each side of said turn.

3. In a stitch-down shoe having a short inner sole extending to the rearof the shank of said shoe, a counter having a comparatively thickoutturned margin the edge of which forms substantially a continuation ofthe edge of the short inner sole.

l. As an article of manufacture, a counter having the face of its loweredge at right angles to its inner face and a narrow area of greaterflexibility than the body of the counter extending substantiallyparallel to said lower edge and in proximity thereto.

5. As an article of manufacture, a counter having a square edge at itsbottom, a beveled edge at its top and sides, and a portion of reducedthickness extending throughout its length.

6. As an article of manufacture, a. counter having a lower edge thethickness of which diminishes toward the ends thereof.

7. As an article of manufacture, a counter having a thick raised centralportion of approximately the same outline as that of the counter, andhaving a lower edge of approximately the same thickness as that of thethickest portion of said central portion.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

KARL ENGEL.

Witnesses:

FRED W. Gunsonn, ARTHUR L. RUssnLL Copies of this patent may be obtainedfor five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

